Sister province since: November 7, 2014

Overview

Located in the south-center of the Korean Peninsula, Chungcheongbuk-do is the only landlocked province in the ROK, known as the land of life and the sun. With an area of 7,431.5 square kilometers and a population of 1.6 million, Chungcheongbuk-do is an important province in central South Korea that offers convenient transportation. Its capital is Cheongju. Chungcheongbuk-do now has eight industrial clusters: life engineering, semiconductors, limestone new materials, traditional medicine, functional food processing, cultural sightseeing, education and entertainment and environment. There are 20 universities in Chungcheongbuk-do with about 35,000 students and 249 research institutes. Famous scenic spots are Cheongju Early Printing Museum, Cheong Nam Dae, and Sangsoo Herbland.

Relations with Hubei

Hubei and Chungcheongbuk-do are both landlocked provinces. Since the friendly exchanges and cooperation began in 2006, delegations from both sides have visited each other frequently. Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei, and Cheongju, the capital city of Chungcheongbuk-do have become sister cities. The two sides have a solid foundation and great potential for cooperation.

In 2006, Li Chunming, then Vice Governor of Hubei, led a delegation to Chungcheongbuk-do, and the two sides signed a letter of intent for friendly exchanges.

In 2008, at the invitation of Hubei, Roh Hwa-wook, Deputy Governor of Chungcheongbuk-do led a delegation to Wuhan to participate in the 8th China Art Festival.

In June 2012, Yang Song, then Chairman of the CPPCC Hubei Provincial Committee, led a delegation to Chungcheongbuk-do and signed an agreement on friendly relations. In September, Heo Deok-hyeong, the international relations advisory ambassador of Chungcheongbuk-do and his delegation visited Hubei and participated in Hubei-Korea Economic, Trade and Cultural Exchange Activities and China-South Korean Local Government Exchange Seminar. In October, a 50-member delegation from Hubei attend The Second Festival for Chinese Students in South Korea held in Cheongju.

In March 2013, Governor of Chungcheongbuk-do Lee Si-jong visited Hubei, and the two sides reached an agreement on promoting tourism cooperation. In May, a biomedicine delegation from Hubei participated in Osong Beauty Expo in Chungcheongbuk-do. During the visit, Wuhan Biolake and Osong Bio Valley signed an agreement on mutually beneficial cooperation in the commercialization of biotechnology outcomes, expert training, and building a China-South Korea Biotechnology Cooperation Center. In September, the Yuejiaquan delegation from Hubei participated in World Martial Arts Masterships in Chungcheongbuk-do. Hubei-Chungcheongbuk-do friendship has been cemented through a variety of events.

In November 2014, Governor of Chungcheongbuk-do Lee Si-jong visited Hubei and met with Wang Guosheng, then Governor of Hubei at East Lake Hotel. The two sides signed an agreement on formally establishment of sister province relations to further deepen cooperation in economy, trade, science and technology, agriculture, education, culture and tourism. Since then, high-level exchanges between Hubei and Chungcheongbuk-do have become more frequent.

In August 2018, then Governor Wang Xiaodong led a delegation to the ROK. During his visit to Chungcheongbuk-do, he held talks with Lee Si-jong and jointly signed an agreement on deepening exchanges and strengthening cooperation between the two provinces.

In June 2019, on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of sister province relations, Lee Si-jong visited Hubei and was received by Wang Xiaodong at Hubei Provincial Museum. In September, Vice Governor Zhao Haishan led a delegation to the ROK, during which he met with Lee Si-jong and senior officials from well-known enterprises and business associations including Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agent (KOTRA), Samsung Group, Celltrion Group, LS Cable & System, SK Group and CJ Corporation.

In addition, Hubei and Chungcheongbuk-do have also carried out exchanges in youth and people-to-people exchanges. The Youth Go Competition jointly organized by the two sides has been successfully held for five sessions since 2015, which has contributed to the mutual learning between traditional cultures of China and the ROK.